Device for driving the healds in looms, particularly in tape looms



y 3, 1960 A. MOROSINI 2,935,093

DEVICE FOR DRIVING THE HEALDS IN LOOMS, PARTICULARLY IN TAPE LOOMS Filed Sept. 24. 1956 1 I M Q U( INVENTOR BY M, Wv'M A.MoRosm| DEVICE FOR DRIVING THE HEALDS IN LOOMS, PARTICULARLY IN TAPE LOOMS Achille Morosini, Pavia, Italy, assignor to Imatex Industria Macchine Tessili S.R.L., Pavia, Italy, a limited company The present invention refers to a device for a mechanical operation of the healds in looms and in a special way in tape looms.

The healds of tape looms are operated by dobbies, which bear as a reproducing part of the weaving design a chain or a drum provided on the periphery with pegs or pins, which drive the healds.

These dobbies, however, require the healds to be brought back to the starting position either by counterweights or by springs. shifted against the action of these means. It follows that the driving of the healds becomes laborious and complicated, and on the other hand the loom is easily exposed to breakage and damage.

Besides, as the healds are not moved upwardly and downwardly by the operating device, because the healds are driven partly by return springs, imperfections and drawbacks in the cloth are caused and the speed of the loom cannot go beyond a certain limit.

It has been tried to prevent these drawbacks by operating the healds through cams, but weaving of some types of tapes is prohibited, as for instance tubular tapes, elastic tapes, etc. Besides, with the use of cams, apart from being expensive, the production of the loom is limited to a single type of tape and the weaving of another type of tape requires the preparation of another series of cams.

The purpose of the invention is to prevent these and other drawbacks and particularly to permit a raised working speed together with the possibility of weaving a large number of tape types.

-- 1 The invention is substantially characterized by a plurality of elements hinge connected to one another and closed in ring shape. Each of these elements is provided with at least one cam with which the operating part of the healds cooperates. This plurality of elements is driven step by step in a revolving movement by means, which are operatively connected with the driving shaft of the loom.

According to the invention each element of the annular hinged member is constituted by a small block provided on at least one of its sides with a groove, with which engages the operating device of the healds. On two adjacent edges means for the mutual connection with the contiguous member are provided in order to form in this way the annular hinged part.

The annular hinged member is attached to at least one wheel, the shaft of which is operatively connected with the driving means for the slay of the loom. This wheel is provided on its periphery with seats for the engagement and guidance of the elements of the annular hinged member.

An advantageous embodiment of the device according to the invention, as well as alterations and modifications of the device and its working, are now explained with reference to the annexed drawing showing a preferred example.

Therefore the healds have to be In the drawings:

Fig. 1 shows a side view of a tape loom in which the healds are operated according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the device.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a part of the device with some parts in section.

Fig. 4 shows a view of four elements which form the annular hinged member.

With reference to Fig. 1, the loom bears in the well known way a curved needle A operated by the associated driving device B, which operates the bobbin C for the binding thread. This driving device is, for instance, made according to co-pending patent applications Serial No. 611,574 and Serial No. 611,573 and consists of the driving parts, which are arranged in the frame. Underneath the frame D and in a casing F, is placed the device or the dobbie, embodied according to the present invention, for driving the healds G of the loom, which are placed backwards of the slay H.

This slay is operated in the well known manner by the driving shaft 10 of the loom.

From this shaft the toothed wheels 12 and 14 drive the device according to the invention.

The gear 14 meshes with two pinions 16 and 18 connected respectively with the shafts 20 and 22, the axes of which are arranged parallel and suitably spaced apart, as will be later explained.

A flexible and annular closed member K engages with the gears 24, 26 and is wound on the same. In the illustrated case this member consists of a plurality of small blocks 30, 32, 34 and 36 (see Fig. 4). Each of them is provided on the adjacent edge with drilled projections 38, 40, which can be connected with the ones of adjacent blocks.

These small blocks are hinge connected to each other by the pins 42.

Due to their shape and their placement the drilled projections protrude from the edges of the associated small blocks, in order to form semi-circular transverse ribs, which engage with the grooves 44 provided on the periphery of the gears 24 and 26.

As seen in Fig. 4, each of the four small blocks is provided on at least one of its longitudinal faces (when the direction of the hinged member is considered) with the grooves 46, 48, 50 and 52. The axes of the grooves 46 and 48 parallel the connecting line of the drilled projections 38, 40, that is the axis is horizontal. The groove 46 is adjacent to the projections 38, 40, and the groove 48 is provided on the other end of the small block.

The axes of the grooves 50 and 52, however, are so inclined as to form the connecting line of the axes of grooves 46 and 48.

. The inclination of the groove 50 is opposite to that of the groove 52.

It results therefrom that it is possible to obtain a continuous groove when two or more blocks are adjacent. As seen in Fig. 2, this portion of the groove is obtained in the middle part between the gears 24 and 26.

In this zone one or more sliding surfaces 54 are provided on which the joint projections 38, 40 slide, thus avoiding bending of the annular part K in the space between the gears 24 and 26.

With the continuous groove formed at a predetermined point of rotation by the single grooves 46, 48, 50 and 52 a roller 56 engages, that is laterally fitted on the lever 58.

The lever 58 is connected with the lever 64 by means of a link 62 and the pivot 60 of lever 64 is common to all the levers of the device and is on the frame of the loorn with its free end connected to the heald G.

A casing 68 protects the movable parts from dust and en mas other-spoiling. This casing can be tightly closed to insure workingof the device in an oil-bath.

The operation of the device depends on the following condition. The healds G of a loom are operated in the well known manner in four steps:

(a) Lifting of the heald.

(b) Stopping of the heald in a raised position.

() Descent of the heald.

(d) Stopping of the heald in a lower position.

Each of'the se steps is controlled by the profile which is provided on the small blocks 39, 32, 3s and 36. it follows that driving of the shaft causes the rotation step by step of the annular hinged member K depending upon the'reciprocati g motion of theslay H. l

The leverSS is therefore caused to swing on the pivot 5,6, and thus the driving of the corresponding heald G is obtained, depending on the profile of the grooveformed by the single grooves 46, 43, $0 and 52.

This combined groove acting as a controlling for the healds substantially reproduces the profile of the cams, which are currently used-in the looms, with the advantage, however, that the profile of such a cam can be varied in a suitable way according to the workto be made.

Two or more adjacent blocks 30 or 32 could for example be arranged in order to maintain the healds stopped in the raised or lower position, during two or more beatings up of the loom.

It is evident that the small blocks 34, 36 form with their grooves 50 and 52 the intermediate blocks of connection between the grooves 46 and 48 of the blocks 30 and 32.

It is to be understood, that in practice the device could undergo alterations and modifications without leaving the range of the present invention. So, for instance, wheels or flanges between the flanges 24 and 26 couldbe provided whenever the hinged member K takes a certain development.

The small blocks 30, 32, 34 and 36 couldbe provided on each of their longitudinal faces with two or more grooves, with which the associated levers 58 can engage. Neither is it to be excluded, that the grooved profile could be provided on the upper end of the blocks, namely in a position opposite to the projections 33, 49;

It is to be understood that the present invention includes also the loom, especially the tape loom, in which the described device is embodied.

in practice the embodiment details could, however, vary without leaving the field of invention.

What I claim is:

1. A device for operating looms particularly tape looms comprising healds, driving means for said loom, a plurality of hinge connected elements forming an annular member, a cam upon each of said elements, means for operating each of said healds, means for driving said elements from said driving means, all of the cams upon said elements upon rotation forming a controlling cam .4 for each heald at a predetermined point of rotation of said member and means interconnecting said controlling cam and said means for operating a heald in order to shift said heald upwardly, downwardly or to an intermediate position.

2. A device for operating looms particularly tape looms comprising healds, driving means for said loom, a plurality of hinge connected elements forming an annular member, a cam upon each of said elements, means for operating each of said healds, means for driving said elements from said driving means, all of the cams upon said elements upon rotation forming a controlling cam for each heald at a predetermined point of rotation of said member, means interconnectingsaid controllingcam and said means for operating a heald in order to shift said heald upwardly, downwardly or to an intermediate position, said elements comprising blocks which are provided on a face thereof with a groove forming said cam and on two adjacent edges with means for the interconnection of contiguous blocks thereby forming said annular member.

3. ,A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means fordriving said elements comprises a gear having means on its periphery for engaging and guiding said elements.

4. A device as set forth in claim lwherein said means for driving said elements comprises a pair of gears mounted on parallel shafts, said annular member travelling over said gears so as to provide between said gears a zone in which said elements are brought closely adjacent .one another to formsaid controlling cam.

5. A device as set forth in claim 4 wherein in the zone between said gears there is provided an intermediate supporting surface for said annular member.

6. A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said elements are provided at two adjacent edges with projections which are apertured so that adjacent elements may be interconnected.

7. A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein four elementsare provided wherein two of said elements are provided with horizontal grooves and the other two with grooves inclined in opposite directions thereby forming connecting elements betweensaid horizontal grooves in orderto form said controlling cam.

8. A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means interconnecting said-controlling cam and said means for operating-Ya heald comprises a lever having a roller there on engaging said controlling cam. v

9. A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein a protective s ins pab aq ontain al i an -sa l s l elementsi "References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 700,613 Brindle et al. May 20, 1902 1,662,931 Lucas :Mar. 20, 1928 2,083,291 Camps June .8, 1937 2,110,541 Winter et al. Mar. 8, 1938 

